Pickax-guard.



T. w. GORDON. PICKAX GUARD; AIPLIOATION FILED SEPT. 13, 1997..

899,487. Patented Sept.22,1908.

WW1 an UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS W. GORDON, OF FRANKLIN, MAINE, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-EIGHTH TO BYRON F. ABBOTT AND ONE-EIGHTH TO KENNETH E. ABBOTT, BOTH OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

'PIGKAX-GUARD.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 22, 1908.

Application filed. September 13, 1907. Serial No. 392,717.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS W. GORDON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Franklin, in the county of Hancock and State of Maine, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pickax-Guards,

of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to guards for pickax handles and similar tools and its object is to provide a device whereby the wooden handle of the tool may-be protected against thewear of the head of the pick or other tool.

To this end my invention is embodied in preferable form in the device hereinafter described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

In these drawings, Figure 1 is a front view in elevation of the pick with the protector thereon; Fig. 2 is an end view of the pick with the protector thereon; Fig. 3 is a front detail view in elevation of theprotector alone, Fig. 4 is a side view in elevation 'of the protector alone; Fig. 5 is a section on line XX of Fig. 1; Fig. 6 is a detail rear view of the pick, and Fig. 7 is a section on the line YY of Fig. 1. 1

Referring to the drawings, 1 is a pick handle of'ordinary form and 2 is the pick. The guard or protector?) consists of an Open band-like body of metal, preferably made of malleable iron or of other metal that will bend or spring sufficiently to permit of the insertion of the guard through the eye of the tool. The guard has a ring 4 at one end, and a band 5 both adapted to embrace the pick handle when the latter is passed through the guard. From the band 5, the two fingers 6 extend outwardly. These fingers are provided with notches 7, formed by the shoulders 8 and 9 at the ends of the fingers. The pick has an eye 10, through which the handle is driven, and this eye is provided at its end with fiat recesses 11, in which the fingers 6 of the guard are adapted to fit. The pick handle is also squared off for a short distance along its edges near the outer end as indicated at 12, to permit the handle to closely fit the inner surfaces of the guard fingers.

In assembling the parts of the tool and guard, the latter with the fingers 6 foremost is first driven through the eye of the pick, the fingers yielding sufiiciently to enable them to pass through the pick, and after they have passed through the upper shoulders 8 of the fingers springing or being bent over the outer edge of the pick head, so that the pick head will fit securely in the notch 7 flush against the inner and outer shoulders at the ends of the fingers 6 of the guard, as shown in Fig. 1. The pick handle is then driven throu h the pick-eye, small end first, until it is rigid y fastened into the pick. The flattened edges 12 of the pick will fit against the inner wall of the protector, and the fingers 6 held firmly against the pick. The pick Will thus be securely held in place on the guard but-Without direct pressure on or against the wooden handle. The handle is thus protected from wear and its life greatly prolonged and the expense and trouble of frequent renewals of the handles now vcommonly experienced, entirely obviated. The guard also substantially strengthens the handle, especially to resist transverse strain and therefore enables the pick to have greater lifting and prying power,

as the ordinary unprotected pick handle is frequently broken by the strain of such applications of the pick.

The handle being flared at the end that receives the eye when it is driven through the guard, it Will force outwardly the yielding fingers and press the outer shoulder over the edges of the eye. To remove the pick for dressing, which is frequently required, it is merely necessary to strike the handle on the end 0 posite to the pick end, whereupon the handl will be readily driven through the guard and the pick may then be released from the guard by merely bending back the outer shoulders so as to enable the pick-eye to be slipped over the same.

It is clear that various changes in the details of the device may be made without departing from the principle of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. A self-locking and removable guard for tool handles having a rigid band portion and having yielding fingers extending from said band portion, and having shoulders at the base of the fingers and shoulders at the outer ends thereof, said inner and outer shoulders forming between them a notch to receive the tool in combination With the tool handle having its outer guard-engaging end portion gradually flaring toward the end and adapted to be driven through said guard with the gripping end first, until the flaring portion forces the shoulders of said fingers to engage the edges of the eye of the tool, substantially as described.

2. A self-locking guard for tool handles having a rigid band portion adapted to surround the handle and having means for positively locking the guard in engagement with the tool head consisting of yielding fingers longer than the height of the tool head and having at their free ends, shoulders at right angles to the length of the fingers having greater lateral projection than the width of the eye and adapted to be forced through the eye and to be pressed outwardly by the in serted tool handle to overlap the edge of the eye and positively lock the head and guardhandle and separated yielding fingers integral with said band ortion,shouldersformed at the base of said 'ngers, other shoulders at the free ends of the fingers, said shoulders forming between them a socket substantially of the height of the tool eye, adapted to receive said eye, said fingers being pressed against said tool by the inclosed handle, and said handle having a flared guard-engaging portion whereby the shoulders overlap the .tool and lock the same between them, subthe width of the eye, the portions of said fingers between the shoulders adapted to engage said recesses in the eye, said shoulders adapted to extend beyond and overlap the edge of the tool eye, anda tool handle having its engaging end portion gradually expanding toward the end and adapted to be-driven gripping-end first through said guard until the expanded portion forces the shoulders of said fingers to engage the edges of the eye, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

THOMAS W. GORDON. Witnesses:

BYRON FRANKLIN ABBOTT, MIKE SWEENEY. 

